A Conversation with Mum about refilling the e-ink in her Kindle.

Mum: Is it like one of those Etch-a-Sketches you had when you were a kid? You know you twist the dials to make a picture?

Me: It’s exactly like that.

Mum: You’re just saying that.

Me: I don’t know how e-ink works but it’s clever. It’s not a powder like Etch-a Sketch. Remember you shook them to clear the screen.

Mum: Good thing it’s not like Etch-a thingy then. Have you had to change a cartridge yet?

Me: No–there’s no cartridge.

Mum: So what do you do when it runs out?

Me: It won’t run out.

Mum: How do you know that?

Me: It’s not like ink for your printer.

Mum: Oh. You know I was looking at it wondering if you had to pour it in the back or how you did it. It’s pretty skinny.

Me: It’s just magic.

Mum: It must run out at some point.

Me: No, it’s like the print on your computer, that doesn’t run out either.

Mum: Oh. I never thought about that. Why didn’t you tell me?

Me: You’ve had a Kindle for years and you’re only just thinking about that now.

Mum: That’s why I was so worried about the ink. Must’ve been due to run out. I’d have stopped worrying about the damn thing. I got angry about not being able to turn off those pictures that go on the screen whenever you’ve not used it for a while. I was thinking about all that wasted ink.

Me: I should’ve told you.

Mum: Would’ve stopped me wasting time on Cartridge world. They didn’t know what I was talking about.